Music Business Worldwide News

1. From UMG’s €1B bond sale to Warner Music’s Sureel AI acquisition… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-up

   The biggest headlines from the past few days...

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2. South Korean prosecutors decline to charge HYBE executives over Min Hee-jin’s criminal complaints (report)

   The complaints stemmed from a statement that HYBE issued in 2024, which alleged that Min had consulted a shaman on matters related to running ADOR.

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3. Francisco Partners exits its minority investment in Muse Group, owner of Audacity, Hal Leonard and Ultimate Guitar

   Muse Group remains majority owned and controlled by founder and CEO Eugeny Naidenov, alongside Mo Chahdi as Executive Chairman and COO.

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4. Napster’s ‘$3bn investor’ charged with fraud as US authorities say the money never existed

   A North Carolina man faces fraud charges for allegedly using a fake banking website and forged records to acquire hundreds of millions of Napster shares.

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5. REPUBLIC Collective strikes joint venture with ZIZA Inc. focused on breaking South Asian artists globally

   The joint venture will prioritize signing and developing artists from the South Asian diaspora

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6. US music publishing revenues hit $7.3B in 2025, NMPA reveals at Annual Meeting honoring P!nk, Julian Bunetta and Harvey Mason jr.

   NMPA Chief Legal Officer and Chief Operating Officer Danielle Aguirre said publishing outpaced the growth of recorded music for the fourth year in a row.

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7. Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge and Jackson Browne to perform at City of Hope’s 2026 Spirit of Life Gala honoring Primary Wave’s Larry Mestel

   Primary Wave Founder & CEO Larry Mestel will be honored for his leadership and commitment to cancer research, with proceeds supporting City of Hope’s immunotherapy and breast cancer programs.

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8. Judge gives Muvox 14 days to serve BMG with patent lawsuit – or the case gets dismissed

   The lawsuit filed in 2024 centers on a patent titled 'Music streaming, playlist creation and streaming architecture.'

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9. RARE Entity, the venture group co-founded by Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, takes stake in Simon Cowell-backed livestreaming platform Lounges.tv

   Cowell bought a stake in Lounges.tv in 2023

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10. Hari Nair, former CEO of India’s Tips Music, joins AI content-protection firm ContentLens as strategic advisor

    In his advisory role, Nair will provide counsel on ContentLens's go-to-market strategy across the media and entertainment industry in India and globally.

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